Astros: AJ Reed gets a chance with Yuli Gurriel on the paternity list

The Astros recall AJ Reed for three days while Yuli Gurriel was added to the paternity list.

AJ Reed has hit well this year in Triple-A this season for the Fresno Grizzlies. What he can do up with the Astros is still up in the air, but he will get a brief chance to shine. Earlier today, the Astros announced that Yuli Gurriel would be placed on the paternity list via Brian McTaggart. The corresponding move was recalling Reed up for three days.

Reed is batting .266 with 18 homers and 67 RBI in 73 games with the Grizzlies via Baseball-Reference. Many Astros fans have said he deserves another shot at the big leagues. In 128 MLB at-bats, Reed is batting .156 with three homers and eight RBI via Baseball-Reference. Some may say that he hasn’t really gotten a shot at the big league level, but you can’t argue with the Astros roster when healthy. Others say that he is an AAAA player who will not succeed in the big leagues.

Why Reed?

When asked about Reed prior to tonight’s game, AJ Hinch said that they wanted to reward him for what he’s done this season. This could be why they did not recall J.D. Davis, who has had more success in the big leagues. With Carlos Correa hitting the DL, Davis could be recalled to play third base, and Alex Bregman could switch to shortstop. For tonight, Marwin Gonzalez got his third straight start at shortstop.

Hinch said that Reed would start tomorrow night against Wilmer Font on the mound. In his last ten games with the Grizzlies, Reed is only batting .216 with one homer and nine runs batted in. They are not bringing him up just to be nice. They want to see what he can do. White has been up for a while, but playing time has been scarce for him. That will change with two of their everyday guys out for three days and longer for Correa.

Next: Astros plan on placing Carlos Correa on the DL tomorrow

Reed did not get an at-bat tonight versus the Rays as the Astros win 1-0. When you win that type of game, everything had to go right. It’s hard to replace hitters like Correa and Gurriel, but we will get to see what Reed can do in his short stint. No matter what happens with the Astros, Reed was selected to the Triple-A All-Star team, which will be played on July 11th. He won’t mind missing it if his stay with the Astros is longer.